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European Champions Cup 20-21 - Rd 2

Josh Wycherley is possibly the best technical loosehead scrummager I've seen at that age.

Probably means he'll get destroyed now. Would be more worried about Archer though.
 
TRF_Olyy said:
SALvEDI-Twitter-1024x576.jpg
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Van der Merwe brothers facing each other
 
The Alpha Bro said:
Can't believe they've gone for Murray after last week. Don't fancy them much at all.

It'd be great if Wycherley goes well.
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Conor the right call this week. Craig will inject off bench. But this is a forward battle and as we will defend a fair bit Conor mor useful in areas required this week. Craigs time will come. If fit Ben Healy would've started too for better defensive game and bigger boot
 
munstermuffin said:
Conor the right call this week. Craig will inject off bench. But this is a forward battle and as we will defend a fair bit Conor mor useful in areas required this week. Craigs time will come. If fit Ben Healy would've started too for better defensive game and bigger boot
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Except Murray's defence has been useless lately too. There's very little he brings any more and the sooner Irish and Munster rugby accept it the sooner both will be back winning trophies.

Saying that, I liked Murray off the bench when the game naturally slows, he can control the tempo, apart from that there's about 3-5 better starting 9s in Ireland at the moment.
 
Murray had some very good interventions defensively last week. Was still as slow as soil creep to the rucks mind you. I think his kicking may be my main issue as we really struggled to win the territory battle last week because so few of his kicks were winnable for us.
 
The Alpha Bro said:
Except Murray's defence has been useless lately too. There's very little he brings any more and the sooner Irish and Munster rugby accept it the sooner both will be back winning trophies.

Saying that, I liked Murray off the bench when the game naturally slows, he can control the tempo, apart from that there's about 3-5 better starting 9s in Ireland at the moment.
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Maybe but last week his D was good. Stats would show that. Offence will be slow this week regardless and Craig is needed off bench when it slows but this is going to be an attritional game.
My own opinion is the season is kind of not going to be defining like if a team wins this it isn't same. So like I'm more happy guys like Daly, Josh and Gavin Coombes are getting a taste of playing in France.

Like if we go out of Europe on a LBP in Clermont and 3 wins then it will be no shame. And reality is that is where we are. The way the competition is set up means it is totally unfairly balanced.
But it was best given circumstances.
 
TRF_Olyy said:
Toulon have pulled out of the Scarlets game over safety concerns:

www.bbc.co.uk

Scarlets v Toulon off over Covid case

Toulon pull out of Friday's Heineken Champions Cup match at Scarlets after a Scarlets player tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
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What is very interesting on this is the January fixtures wipl be worst as a huge surge expected for January. So say this wipes out alot more games then and a precedent is set. The competition could end up being a farce.
 
munstermuffin said:
What is very interesting on this is the January fixtures wipl be worst as a huge surge expected for January. So say this wipes out alot more games then and a precedent is set. The competition could end up being a farce.
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Have faith, we got through a new autumn tournament with only 8 teams and 4 rounds with no cancellations right...
 
Reiser99 said:
Have faith, we got through a new autumn tournament with only 8 teams and 4 rounds with no cancellations right...
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Fiji caused a few cancellations.
But Pro14 looks effected now. Edinburgh vs Glasgow off on Dec 27, Our game vs Ulster looking doubtful.
Hope I'm wrong but can see major hit happening.
Hard to have sympathy with Toulon in regular life but I feel they were 100% correct today
 
There's bigger packs than Munster in Europe, but there's no one who washes their hands quite like us and for that reason alone we will be adding a star to our jersey next season!
 
Groundhog said:
There's bigger packs than Munster in Europe, but there's no one who washes their hands quite like us and for that reason alone we will be adding a star to our jersey next season!
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How many Covid cases has Munster had already? Two or three outbreaks? Believe Leinster are the only province not to have any...
 
munstermuffin said:
Fiji caused a few cancellations.
But Pro14 looks effected now. Edinburgh vs Glasgow off on Dec 27, Our game vs Ulster looking doubtful.
Hope I'm wrong but can see major hit happening.
Hard to have sympathy with Toulon in regular life but I feel they were 100% correct today
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I did write that with tongue in cheek. I agree that safety comes first and I don't begrudge teams pulling out and not taking the risk, same as I didn't begrudge limits on international appearances. Reality was this was always possible, probably inevitable. I know in the premiership they've changed what happens in the event to cases to a draw, so that it reflects the fact that it's going to be almost impossible to avoid cases, especially with the number of cases in the country.

For me the question is have those in charge planned well enough and put into place contingencies so that it doesn't affect the credibility of the competition. I don't think the EPCR have done enough planning. The format is already showing issues once a team has lost once. On top, teams who may have had a chance like Exeter are now likely to miss out because of cases. As others have mentioned, this competition is going to become a farce very quickly at this rate.
 
Reiser99 said:
I did write that with tongue in cheek. I agree that safety comes first and I don't begrudge teams pulling out and not taking the risk, same as I didn't begrudge limits on international appearances. Reality was this was always possible, probably inevitable. I know in the premiership they've changed what happens in the event to cases to a draw, so that it reflects the fact that it's going to be almost impossible to avoid cases, especially with the number of cases in the country.

For me the question is have those in charge planned well enough and put into place contingencies so that it doesn't affect the credibility of the competition. I don't think the EPCR have done enough planning. The format is already showing issues once a team has lost once. On top, teams who may have had a chance like Exeter are now likely to miss out because of cases. As others have mentioned, this competition is going to become a farce very quickly at this rate.
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That is the issue there is no contingency and the credibility of this year is already gone.
Like how have Bath 12 in isolation and Scarlets don't when it was Scarlets player. ERC are loosing alot over this
 
One option i think they could possibly consider is making the QFs one legged, as is usual ,freeing up the allotted first QF week for games postponed.
That could only work if teams had only 1 game postponed though, and everyone was agreeable.
 
FLOBALOB said:
One option i think they could possibly consider is making the QFs one legged, as is usual ,freeing up the allotted first QF week for games postponed.
That could only work if teams had only 1 game postponed though, and everyone was agreeable.
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Issue will be on who gets gome advantage as reason for 2 legs was to ease issue of lobsided pools.
And say a team gets that based on getting a BP off a Covid cancellation it just harms the qhole competition
 

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